Monthly Archives: January, 2015

ERIC CLAPTON-461 OCEAN BOULEVARD. By 1974, Eric Clapton had established a reputation as a survivor. He had managed to overcome heroin and alcohol addiction. His life had spiralled out of control after releasing his debut solo album, Eric Clapton in August 1970. It reached number seventeen in Britain and number thirteen in the US Billboard …

TIM BUCKLEY-LORCA. 2015 marks the fortieth anniversary of the death of one of the most talented, and innovative, vocalists of his generation, Tim Buckley. He died on June 29th 1975, aged just twenty-nine. That day, music lost a true visionary. Tim Buckley was, and always will be remembered as a musical chameleon, who believed his …

CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD-PIANOKAMMER. Christian Wallumrød’s recording career began nearly twenty years ago, in 1996, when the Christian Wallumrød Trio released their debut album Birch. Released to widespread critical acclaim, Birch launched the career of Christian Wallumrød. Since then, Christian Wallumrød star has been in the ascendancy. To the onlooker, it seems Christian Wallumrød has done everything …

JOHN MARTYN-GRACE AND DANGER. In November 1977, John Martyn released what’s was undoubtably one the finest albums of his career, One World. It was an atmospheric, experimental and genre-defying album. Everything from folk, jazz, reggae and rock melted together over eight tracks. Released to overwhelming critical acclaim, One World was hailed a classic album. This …

THE PHANTOM BAND-FEARS TRENDING. For fans of The Phantom Band, it’s either a case of feast of famine. Having released their debut album Checkmate Savage in January 2009, The Phantom Band returned in October 2010 with their sophomore album The Wants. After that, nothing was heard from The Phantom Band for four long years. During …

BELLE AND SEBASTIAN-GIRLS IN PEACETIME WANT TO DANCE. Over four years have passed since Belle and Sebastian released their eighth studio album, Belle and Sebastian Write About Love. Since then, Belle and Sebastian’s only release was The Third Eye Centre, a nineteen track retrospective released in August 2013. It featured rarities, remixes, B-Sides, non-album tracks …

ROXY MUSIC-FLESH AND BLOOD. By June 1980, when Roxy Music released their seventh and penultimate album, Flesh and Blood, they were reduced to a trio. Only Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera and Andy McKay remained. Phil Thompson had by now, left the band, and original members. Brian Eno and Graham Simpson had long left the band. Since then, many …

DIRE STRAITS-DIRE STRAITS. In 1977, punk was at the peak of its popularity. For the last year, bands were being formed all over Britain. Suddenly, it seemed, everyone was a musician. That was all very well. However, there was a problem. Many of these bands weren’t very good. The problem was, many of this new …

BRIAN ENO-HERE COME THE WARM JETS. For Brian Eno, 1973 was the year the second chapter in his career began. Brian had just left Roxy Music after touring their sophomore album, For Your Pleasure. By the end of the tour, Brian had realised the life of a rock star wasn’t for him. He found the …

KING CRIMSON-LARK’S TONGUES IN ASPIC. It was in October 1969, that King Crimson burst onto the scene with their debut album In The Court Of The Crimson King. A true prog rock classic, In The Court Of The Crimson King was was released to critical acclaim and commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic. In …

TANGERINE DREAM-RUBYCON. Tangerine Dream are, without doubt, the original musical chameleons. Since forming in 1967, Tangerine Dream’s music has been constantly evolving. As a result, they can never be accused of standing still. Far from it. During the last six decades, Tangerine Dream have flitted between musical genres as they recorded over 125 studio albums. …

COCTEAU TWINS-BLUE BELL KNOLL. By 1988, the Cocteau Twins’ star was in the ascendancy. They were officially, one of music’s rising stars. So it’s no surprise that major labels were starting to take an interest in the Cocteau Twins. That wasn’t surprising. The Cocteau Twins had already served their musical apprenticeship. They had already released …

TARAF DE HAÏDOUKS-OF LOVERS, GAMBLERS AND PARACHUTE SKIRTS. Twenty-five years ago, Taraf de Haïdouks made their debut. Little did anyone realise that this was the start of musical journey that would see Taraf de Haïdouks crowned “the best Gypsy band in the world.” That’s quite an accolade. However, anyone that’s seen Taraf de Haïdouks live, …

THE O’JAYS SHIP AHOY. In August 1972, when The O’Jays’ released Back Stabbers, little did they realize how important an album it would become. Back Stabbers was certified gold, and fourteen years after The O’Jays were formed, were on their way to becoming one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful groups in the …

JOHAN AGEBJORN-NOTES. In music, some artists are content to jump onto the latest bandwagon, in the search of fame and fortune. Other artists however, are musical mavericks. They’re determined not to stand still. Instead, their raison d’être is to create music that pushes musical boundaries. As a result, with each album, their music evolves and …

SIDSEL ENDRESEN AND STIAN WESTERHUS-BONITA. One of the most eagerly awaited albums of 2015 is Sidsel Endresen and Stian Westerhus’ sophomore album Bonita. It was released on Rune Grammofon, on 12th January 2015. Bonita was the followup to Sidsel Endresen and Stian Westerhus’ debut album Didymoi Dreams. Just like Didymoi Dreams, Bonita is another album …

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT. It was in September 1967, that The Velvet Underground began recording their sophomore album White Light/White Heat. A lot had happened since The Velvet Underground released their debut album The Velvet Underground and Nico in March 1967. The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol had decided to go their separate ways. …

STEPHANIE NICOLE-SOULOUTIONARY ONE. Over the last fifteen years, music has been transformed beyond recognition. Everything from the way we consume music to how it’s delivered has changed. Nowadays, many people to music on the move. It’s reduced to mere background music, an incidental soundtrack to the drudgery of daily life. This soundtrack is delivered via …

SUPERTRAMP-CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? Very few groups are overnight successes. Most groups spend years struggling, trying to make a commercial breakthrough. Then after years of trying, success comes the way of the fortunate few. That was the case for Supertramp. It took three albums, and several changes in lineup before Supertramp made a commercial breakthrough. Supertramp’s …

DJ OIL-PHANTOM. It was three years ago, that multi-instrumentalist Lionel Corsini dawned the role of DJ Oil, and released his debut album Black Notes on French label Discograph. Black Notes was well received by critics. That’s no surprise. After all, DJ Oil was an experienced artist. Way before Lionel Corsini became DJ Oil, he was …